Market Reports

I-94 Corridor From Detroit to Ann Arbor Piques Hotel Investors’ Interest

by Christina Cannon July 28, 2016

Even as hotel operators continue to report steady gains in revenue per available room (RevPAR) nationally, Wall Street execs have begun to downgrade the lodging outlook, painting an entirely different picture. This disconnect is rooted in fears that the year-over-year growth in RevPAR is not sustainable in the current climate and that a spate of high-profile mergers and acquisitions among national operators must dictate a lower assessment of the industry. In spite of these concerns, demand continues to outpace new supply, both of which are occurring at a strong clip. Though industry observers may point to tepid occupancy as a concern, robust increases in average daily rates are leading to continued growth in RevPAR nationwide. How does Detroit stack up? Similar to the national hotel industry, Detroit is registering these same trends. On one hand, the market has recorded an increase in supply and a decrease in occupancy. On the other hand, average daily rates are steadily rising and RevPAR is growing overall, a sign of a strong hotel market. STR’s April 2016 report on the U.S. hotel pipeline indicated 1,046 rooms under construction in metro Detroit, or approximately 2 percent of the existing supply. This supply increase is at …

July 28, 2016

Georgia Market Reports Office Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Talent, Innovation Are Driving Today’s Real Estate Decisions in Atlanta

by John Nelson July 25, 2016

There has been a seismic shift in the way that companies throughout America make their relocation decisions, and it applies to Atlanta as well as its competitors. Companies are driven to locations that can provide a robust pipeline of talent and tight-knit innovative communities. This focus has created new demands on cities that want to build and sustain competitive economies. Companies have always taken talent into consideration but ultimately there was a belief that the talent would follow the company. This is no longer true. Millennials first choose where they want to live and then where they want to work. Today’s sought-after talent is closely tied to a city’s ability to provide a high quality of life. This means a connected transportation system, plenty of entertainment activities and accessible, affordable housing. All of this can be found in Atlanta. Companies that have recently chosen to call Atlanta home are a testament to this. From NCR (3,600 employees) to Kaiser Permanente (900 employees) to Worldpay (1,266 employees), all of these prestigious business newcomers have emphasized the critical role that access to highly qualified talent played in their decision to relocate here. Tight-knit, innovative communities do not just appear and cannot be …

July 25, 2016

Industrial Market Reports Texas Texas Market Reports

Look Beyond Oil and Gas to Understand Prospects for Houston’s Industrial Sector

by Haisten Willis July 22, 2016

Outsiders looking at the Houston industrial real estate market may automatically presume doom and gloom for all commercial real estate segments due to the significant downturn in the oil and gas industry during 2015 and 2016. When it comes to the Houston industrial sector, we caution not to jump to that conclusion too fast! In 2016, the Houston regional economy has much more going for it that creates industrial real estate demand than simply oil and gas. Momentum from economic drivers not dependent upon the oil and gas industry are stabilizing industrial real estate. They are also helping counter the drag on the area’s economy that may be attributed to excess inventory and price deflation in oil and gas. Through the end of the year, we expect activity in industrial leasing to remain relatively stable and to offer rental rates that are comparable to early 2016. Our confidence in the stability of industrial real estate is partially based on our fundamental understanding about segmentation in the energy industry that directly impacts Houston’s industrial real estate utilization. Oil and gas is not a simple, homogenous industry with all segments moving in lock step. Clearly, the energy downturn has hit oil and …

July 22, 2016

Indiana Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Multifamily Uncategorized

College Students, Tech Jobs Are Drivers of Niche Apartment Construction

by Christina Cannon July 21, 2016

Growth in the Indianapolis downtown multifamily market is as dynamic as the city itself. Since 2013, 3,000 units have been delivered and leased up rapidly. The vacancy rate registers 4.5 percent in a submarket that historically has seen vacancy rates of around 8 percent. Demand is healthy and growth continues, with another 283 units scheduled for delivery by the end of this year. A unique contributor to this multifamily construction boom is the downtown campus of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), the IU Law School and the IU Medical School. A sudden building spree of more than $100 million of student-focused projects is occurring downtown near IUPUI. With more than 1,000 units currently under construction or in the works, these new deliveries signal a real change for IUPUI from a commuter orientation to that of a residential campus. These off-campus locations will likely appeal to young professionals as well, and savvy developers are making certain to provide conventional units as part of their mix. The largest such development currently under construction is Trinitas Ventures’ 193-unit, 669-bed project at the northeast corner of Michigan Street and Capitol Avenue. Known as Lux On Capitol, the student housing development is due to open …

July 21, 2016

Maine Market Reports Northeast Northeast Market Reports Retail

Greater Portland Retail Bucks National Trend with Decreasing Vacancy

by Jaime Lackey July 20, 2016

The retail sector in Southern Maine’s commercial real estate market remained strong through year-end 2015 with all signs indicating continued improvement through 2016. While the national average retail vacancy rate increased to 12.6 percent in 2015, the retail vacancy dropped to 3.6 percent in Greater Portland, according to Malone Commercial Brokers’ annual retail survey. Greater Portland is a major market in Southern Maine consisting of 6.46 million square feet of retail space. 2015 marked the sixth consecutive year of declining vacancy rates in the market since its 10-year high of 10.8 percent in 2009. Meanwhile, the national retail vacancy rate rose in 2015 over year prior, marking the first vacancy increase in five years and nearly matching the 2011 national vacancy rate of 12.9 percent. Heading into the third quarter of 2016, Southern Maine’s retail sector remains extremely healthy. Short-term forecasts for Portland predict continued absorption of existing space, new retail construction, and strong market competition. Significant Developments and Redevelopments Thompson’s Point, Portland — Represented by Drew Sigfridson of CBRE / The Boulos Company, this 29-acre redevelopment offers up to 220,000 square feet of retail, office, hospitality, and recreational space off of Interstate 295. Final renovations of the 34,000-square-foot Brick …

July 20, 2016

Market Reports Multifamily Texas Texas Market Reports

Oil Prices Cause Dip in Multifamily Market, But Value-Add Opportunities Remain Strong

by Haisten Willis July 15, 2016

Although Houston’s local economy is not exclusively dependent on oil and gas, re-energizing this sector will be key to a multifamily rebound in the area. Since the downturn in oil prices over the last two years, Houston’s multifamily market has been one of the most impacted victims of the area’s economic slowdown. Oil and gas is estimated to represent about one-fifth of Houston’s economy. This does not include construction and other new development that depends on the oil and gas industry. The Houston market’s annual rent growth rate is well below the national average of 4.1 percent, according to Axiometrics’ Houston-area Market Performance Survey. From the fourth quarter of 2015 to the first quarter of 2016, the annual growth rate in Houston’s multifamily sector was only 0.8 percent. The annual effective rent growth in the area is forecast to be 2.4 percent in 2017 and is expected to average 3.6 percent from 2018 to 2020. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth in the Houston metro area was 0.3 percent in April 2016, reflecting 10,000 jobs added during the preceding 12-month period. The metro job growth figure was below the national number of 1.9 percent. Limited Demand On …

July 15, 2016

Market Reports Michigan Midwest Midwest Market Reports Retail

Creativity is Driving Force Behind Keeping Metro Detroit Retail Market Fresh

by Christina Cannon July 14, 2016

To get a sense of what is happening in Southeast Michigan retail these days, the place to start looking is the past. It’s interesting and important to recognize that the seeds of many of the retail trends manifesting themselves today were planted years ago. Fortunately, the overall retail marketplace in Southeast Michigan remains generally strong. The marketplace may change over time, but one constant that remains unaltered is that quality rises to the top. Thoughtfully designed and developed retail projects in favorable locations have always done well — and that has remained the case through recessionary ups and downs and the whims of a consumer base that can be quick to change. Rethinking e-commerce Today, one of the most discussed topics of conversation for any retailer is the competitive pressure of the online and mobile marketplace. The convenience of virtual transactions, the rise of Internet powers like Amazon, and an increasingly tech-savvy population of shoppers who are comfortable and confident shopping online for a wider variety of goods and services has prompted the vast majority of brick-and-mortar retailers to work hard to carve out their own space in the digital marketplace. Online and mobile growth has had less of a …

July 14, 2016

Market Reports Northeast Northeast Market Reports Office Pennsylvania

The Lehigh Valley Office Sector Welcomes New Tenants and New Developments

by Jaime Lackey July 13, 2016

The Lehigh Valley has seen no shortage of success stories in recent months when it comes to the region’s office sector. The third-largest metropolitan area in Pennsylvania, the Lehigh Valley is located 60 miles north of Philadelphia and 90 miles west of New York City. The region consists of 62 municipalities within Lehigh and Northampton counties, including the cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton. Last year, Guardian Life Insurance, one of the nation’s largest mutual life providers, announced it would establish a three-story corporate office building in Hanover Township, Northampton County. That 281,680-square-foot facility is expected to be completed by late 2016 and will house 1,500 employees. In March, Paychex Inc., a provider of payroll, human resources, retirement, and insurance services, announced it will undertake a $1.3 million expansion of its facility in South Whitehall Township, Lehigh County. That project will nearly double the company’s square footage and will create 100 new jobs. Many economic factors have contributed to the growth in Lehigh Valley’s office sector. These include its central location, well-developed transportation infrastructure, availability of suitable office space, high relative broadband rank, access to markets, and strong workforce. All these factors led Atlanta-based Garner Economics to identify high-value business …

July 13, 2016

Georgia Industrial Market Reports Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Atlanta’s Industrial Market Passes a New Milestone, Again

by John Nelson July 11, 2016

It looks like 2016 is carrying on where 2015 left off. During 2014 and 2015, Atlanta set record after record for activity, positive net absorption and new construction; and the first quarter of 2016 didn’t disappoint. Activity during the first quarter of 2016 was over 13.5 million square feet, which contributed to a four-quarter total of 59.3 million square feet — the highest four-quarter total for activity ever seen in the Atlanta industrial market. We also witnessed the 16th consecutive quarter of positive net absorption with 3.1 million square feet of space absorbed during the quarter. Added to the last three quarters, net absorption totaled 16.5 million square feet of positive net absorption. Even with a large industrial inventory of 642 million square feet, that’s a significant achievement. Demand for warehouse and distribution space is fueled by Atlanta’s continued economic growth and employment. Unemployment in the Atlanta metro area is 6.1 percent and down from 6.3 percent that we reported last October (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Although construction slowed during the fourth quarter of 2015 with only 1.5 million square feet launched, it was only a short lull. New construction moved forward again for the first quarter of 2016 …

July 11, 2016

Industrial Market Reports Northeast Northeast Market Reports Pennsylvania

Lehigh Valley’s Industrial Sector Sees Increasing Rents and Spec Construction

by Jaime Lackey July 7, 2016

With increasing rental rates, strong investor demand for core product and record levels of speculative construction, spirits are high in the Lehigh Valley with regard to industrial real estate opportunities. The record volume of product deliveries the past two years underscores the strong industrial demand in the Lehigh Valley. Vacancy has dropped from 15.9 percent in the first quarter of 2009 to a record-low 4.9 percent at the end of 2015, according to CoStar. The average net industrial rental rate jumped 11.1 percent during the past 18 months, an even more impressive figure when compared against the 10-year average of 1.65 percent rental rate growth in Lehigh Valley for modern distribution buildings. After many years of flat rental growth, year-end 2015 industrial leases were completed in the $4.75- to $4.95-per-square-foot range in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, Pennsylvania MSA. In 2016, expect a modest increase in rental rates as the delivery of new construction across the northeastern Pennsylvania region will slow growth and push vacancy rates higher. Leasing activity has been broadly distributed along the regional I-78 and I-81/I-80 corridors. Within the valley, industrial growth has occurred primarily along the main interchanges of I-78, U.S. 22 and Route 33. In the past 12 …

July 7, 2016

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